Speaker of the House Rep. Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield, listens to a Legislative Management meeting in the House chamber on Nov. 12, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – One of the toughest jobs in North Dakota’s Legislature has a longtime figure taking charge.
Rep. Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield, is the new House majority leader after House Republicans elected their leadership team Wednesday night. Senate Republicans reelected Sen. David Hogue, R-Minot, as their majority leader. Both men ran unopposed.
“It will be an outstanding relationship because it already is,” Hogue said of their roles together.
They will lead the two Republican supermajorities as perhaps the most visible members of the Legislature. The majority leaders steer the biennial legislative session, meet frequently with the governor, talk to the media and keep tabs on the Legislature’s work between sessions.
Weisz has been speaker of the House for nearly two years, presiding over the 94-member chamber during floor sessions. He will hold both jobs simultaneously until a new speaker is elected in early December.
The 70-year-old lifelong farmer was first elected in 1996, representing a large rural district in the middle of the state. He owned a grain elevator business for 15 years. He has a patent for a product he and a partner invented for agriculture.
For more than a decade, Weisz chaired the House Human Services Committee, which has handled bills on everything from abortion regulations to medical marijuana to vaccines.
Last year, Weisz was the main sponsor of the legislation that became Measure 1, a proposed constitutional amendment that sought to require 60% voter support to change the state constitution. Voters rejected the measure by about 56%.
Weisz said his 30 years of experience and calm approach will help the House.
“I think that’s an advantage I’ve had, you know, chairing over the years and stuff is that, yeah, I’m not always going to be happy with things, but keep that even temperament, keep the even keel and work out the issues and go forward,” he said.
Weisz will be wrangling an 80-member Republican caucus, an enormous group of lawmakers who don’t always agree.
“To me, that means I have to be able to listen to the broad range of my caucus. We have ultraconservative to maybe relatively liberal but they’re all part of our caucus. They have a voice,” he said.
Weisz succeeds Rep. Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, who did not seek reelection to his House seat. Lefor, 70, said he is retiring to spend more time in Arizona and with his grandchildren.
Lefor was elected majority leader in 2022 and spent much of the time traveling the state on his own dime to meet with different groups and learn about everything from aging university buildings to agricultural research to educate himself for when the session comes around.
“The job is what you make it,” Lefor said.
During Lefor’s tenure, he helped lead the Legislature’s response to adverse court rulings on redistricting and a catchall budget bill. He also helped plan three special sessions to redo the budget bill, approve federal rural health funds and restrict kratom products. His predecessor, former GOP Rep. Chet Pollert, dealt with impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and helped lead the first expulsion of a North Dakota lawmaker in state history.
Weisz said he was heavily involved in many of those issues even though he wasn’t the majority leader. He said he would deal with bad situations fairly to reach the best outcome.
“Who knows what this session may bring,” he said.
Hogue, who has led Senate Republicans since 2022, said his approach is to mentor and delegate as leader of his caucus.
He and Weisz, who will reach their chambers’ term limit in 2028, will guide one of the last legislative sessions with longtime incumbents who will mostly be gone by 2031. Term limits restrict lawmakers to eight years apiece in the House and Senate.
The 2027 Legislature is “going to be an interesting dynamic where we’re starting to see lots of new faces and not just a few,” said Hogue, who added he is concerned about the loss of institutional knowledge of agencies, budgets and recurring, rejected legislation.
Weisz said he won’t run for Senate. Hogue said he hasn’t decided his future.
Lawmakers take office Dec. 1. Republicans control the House 80-14 and the Senate 41-6.
The Legislature’s majority and minority leaders are paid an extra $20 per calendar day during sessions.
House Republicans elected Rep. Greg Stemen, R-Fargo, as assistant majority leader and Rep. Jim Grueneich, R-Ellendale, as caucus leader. They also nominated Rep. Brandy Pyle, R-Casselton, for speaker.
Senate Republicans reelected Sen. Jerry Klein, R-Fessenden, as assistant majority leader and Sen. Kristin Roers, R-Fargo, as caucus leader.
House and Senate Democrats will elect their leadership teams Thursday night.
The Legislature’s organizational session is Dec. 1-3. Some of the most important events are the election of a House speaker and Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s budget address laying out his priorities for the next two years.
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